Lavrov praises Kerry`s vow to probe Russian kids` deaths

Moscow: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has welcomed the promise by US Secretary of State John Kerry to personally take part in investigating the deaths of Russian adopted children in the US.

"I think this is a very important statement. We will strive to make these words become practical deeds," Lavrov said in an interview with Russia`s Channel One.

Commenting on his first bilateral meeting with Kerry in Berlin, Lavrov said his US counterpart acknowledged that the problems surrounding adopted Russian children are "real" and assured that he will "personally take all the necessary measures to ensure full transparency and accountability for us in this area in the US".

The issue of safety of Russian adopted children in the US has affected bilateral ties.

Citing numerous abuse cases and fatalities involving adopted Russian children in the US, Moscow last month banned US citizens from adopting Russian children.

Russia`s children ombudsman Pavel Astakhov said last month that three-year-old Maxim Kuzmin, adopted from Pskov region by a Texan couple in 2012 along with his brother Kirill, two, died due to abuse by his new mother.

US officials said the death of the Russian child was an "accident", to which Astakhov reacted with the statement: "The three-year-old boy became a victim of big politics".